Breast pumps are commonly used to collect breast milk in order to allow mothers to continue breastfeeding while apart from their children. Breast pumps typically express milk from the mammary glands of the breast by creating a vacuum in the neck portion of a funnel-shaped component commonly referred to as the flange or the breast interface. The vacuum pulls the nipple and portions of the areola into the flange neck, causing compression of anterior portions of the breast tissue against portions of the breast interface. By contrast, a baby applies light vacuum and compression of posterior portions of the breast tissue using peristaltic motion of the jaws, lips, and/or tongue, wherein the posterior compression helps prevent retrograde flow of the breast milk and achieve more efficient and comfortable milk expression.
It would be desirable to provide a breast pump that can better mimic aspects of milk expression during natural nursing, to improve the efficiency of milk expression and the comfort of the user during pumping. Ideally, such a breast pump can help prevent retrograde flow of the milk and stimulate expression of additional milk.
At least some of these objectives will be satisfied by the devices and methods disclosed below.